Strand packaging method and means



Jan 6 1959 P.,E. JoNx-:s ETAL 2,867,319

STRAND PACKAGING METHOD AND MEANS Filed oct. e, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR Pau?, E. JneJ avici E'. Perry.

Jan. 6, 1959 P. Elmmsl ErAL 2,357,319

STRAND PACKAGING METHOD AND MEANS Filed Oct. 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J0 g1/9g@ e, 11E-25:.. ll

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United States Patent O STRAND PACKAGING METHOD AND MEANS Paul E. Jones and David E. Perry, Van Wert, Ohio, assignors to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 6, 1955, Serial No. 538,832

3 Claims. (Cl. 206-59) This invention relates generally to the packaging of strand material for shipment. Specifically, it relates to a novel method of packaging strand material, to the completed package ready for shipment, and to a novel vcontainer well adapted to the method, capable of withstanding ro-ugh handling during shipment, and serving to facilitate dispensing of the strand material. The invention is of great advantage for shipping wire of various gauges but is equally as desirable for rope or other strand material.

Strand material has long been wound in concentric layers upo-n reels which must be rotatably supported when unwinding is to be effected; and in the case of rope or the like winding is often accomplished with or without a core, the winding being of such pattern that each successive layer is intended to hold the adjacent layer against slippage out of place. However, the layers frequently slip upon each other and result in breakdown of the roll with consequent snarls and general inconvenience.

The present invention provides for expeditious packaging of the strand material at the factory and for well protecting the material in a substantial container during shipment, and this same container is used to hold the material while it is being payed out in orderly manner for use or sale. General inconvenience, and particularly snarls are thus obviated.

One object of the invention has been to provide an improved method of packaging strand material, said method comprising the steps of providing a shipping container having a bottom, a side wall and a central core spaced from said side wall, coiling the strand material into the space between said side wall and core, and closing the open end of the container.

Another object has been to coil the strand material into the aforesaid space in superposed layers.

Still another object has beento give spiral form to each of the aforesaid layers.

Yet another object has been to spirally coil the aforesaid layers and to interpose an oblique portion of the strand between each two adjacent layers, preventing the spirals from possibly meshing with each other.

A further object of the inventio-n has been to provide a novel assembly of coiled strand and shipping container, v

which assembly will well withstand rough handling during shipment.

A still further object has been to provide a novel shipping container which will facilitate lling with the strand material, will co-ntribute largely to injury-free shipment and will facilitate paying out of the coiled strand.

Another object has been to provide a strong container having novel construction whereby a tubular core therein will be held centered and braced against collapse even under unusually rough handling conditions.

Yet another object has been to provide a novel containers are stacked for shipment and storage.

Afice in preventing downward deforming when the loaded containers are stacked for shipment and sctorage.

Still another object has been to provide av container which may be constructed largely from ber board, yet will have adequate strength.

With the above and other objects in VView that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailedvdescription, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing a strand during the act of coiling it into the container.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional View, partly in elevation and with its mid portion broken out, showing a coiled strand packed in the container of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view on line 3 3 of Figure 2, showing the lowermost layer of the coiled strand between the container side wall and core.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view showing a slight variation over Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a con-V struction in which the cover is provided with shoulders to engage the upper end of the tubular core.

Figure 6 is a similar view showing a different form' of container construction.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view showing a slight variation over Figure 6.

In the drawings, a container 1 is shown having a cylindrical side wall 2, a bottom 3, a cover 4 and a tubular cylindrical core 5, said core extending from said bottoml to said cover. This core 5 is concentric with the side wall 2 and. spaced therefrom to provide a space 6 into which to coil the strand material 7.

In the construction of Figures 1 to 5, the side wall 2 and bottom 3 are suitably seamed together at 8 and said side wall is inwardly deformed at 9 near its upper end to provide it with an external circumferential groove. Also, in this construction, the peripheral portion of thev cover 4 is upwardly deformed at 10 and downwardly deformed at l1. The upward deformation 10 provides a downwardly open groove to receive the upper end of the side wall 2, and the downward deformation 11 provides a rib to abut the deformation 9 of said side wall. A clamping band 12 is pro-vided to secure the cover 4 to the container, and the lower portion 13 of said band engages the groove provided by the deformation 9. All of thisconstruction is conventional in fiber or metal drums and the like.

In the construction o-f Figures 6 and 7, the side wall 2 is composed of outer and inner walls 14 and 15, the outermost of which is integral with the bottom 3, and the innermost of which projects upwardly at 16. Also, in this construction, the cover 4 is simply flanged at 17 to surround the upwardly projecting wall portion 16. This construction is conventional in liber drums and the like and an adhesive tape (not shown) is usually employed to secure the cover in place.

In all forms of the container structure herein shown, the tubular core 5 extends from bottom to top of the structure and a core centering member 18 extends from the lower end of said core to the side wall 2. The upper end of the core 5 may simply abut the cover 4 horizontally as in Figures 2 and 6, or said cover may also be formed with means circumferentially abutting said upper end of said core to hold it centered. In Figure 5, for example, the cover 4 is upwardly deformed at 19, providing it with concentric inner and outer shoulders 20, 21 to abut the upper end of the core at its inner and outer peripheries, respectively.

The core centering member 18 is shown in the form of a at ring resting upon the bottom 3 and extending under the lower end of the tubular core 5. At its inner edge, this ring is formed with integral upwardly bent tongues 22 which lie against the inner periphery of the tubular core 5. These tongues 22 jointly provide an upstanding substantially continuous flange circumferentially abutting the core 5 and holding the lower end of the latter centered in a manner to resist inward distortion.

If desired, a back-up ring 23 (Figures 2 and 6) may be employed for the tongues 22, to resist inward bending of said tongues but the construction shown in Figures 4. 5 and 7 omits such a ring.

The ring 18 is usually glued or otherwise secured to the bottom 3 and may be considered as glued in the present disclosure. Also, the tongues 22 may be suitably secured to the core 5 and may be considered as glued to the latter. When this manner of attachment is followed, and the back up ring 23 is employed, this ring holds the tongues 22 tightly in place While the glue is setting, and said back up ring is also preferably glued to said tongues.

While not essential, it is preferred that the side wall 2, bottom 3, cover 4, core 5, core-centering member 18 and back up ringl 23 be formed from fiber board. However, metal or Aother suitable material could well be used in constructing any or all of these elements. It is also to be understood that the container may be manufactured in various heights and diameters and with different spacings between the side wall and core, according to the product to be packaged or the quantity thereof to be placed in the container.

The strand 7 is coiled into the space 6 as seen in Figures l, 2 and 3 in any desired pattern. In the present disclosure, the coiling is performed in superposed horizontal layers L and in each layer the strand is spirally coiled as seen more particularly in Figure 3. After forming the first spiral layer (the layer shown in Figure 3) a portion P of the strand 7 is extended obliquely over the convolutions C of said first layer to prevent the convolutions of the two layers from completely meshing with each other, and then the next spiral layer is coiled. These operations are repetitiously performed until the space 6 is lled, leaving the free end of the strand 7 at the top of the roll. The successive oblique portions P of the strand are of course circumferentially spaced from each other during the coiling process to give uniform length to al1 portions of the roll. The free end of the strand may be tagged if desired or may be releasably attached to a donut or the like.

After filling the space 6 with the coiled strand, the

cover 4 is secured in place and the assembly of coiled strand and container is then ready for shipment or storage,\and no reasonable amount of even extremely rough handling and/or stacking will impart appreciable injury to container or contents.

When the container is opened, the free end of the 4 strand is readily accessible for paying out the coiled strand with convenience and 'with no danger of snarling.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been disclosed for attaining the desired ends. However, variations may of course be made within the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A container having a cylindrical side wall, a bottom and a readily removable cover, a cylindrical tubular core within said container in spaced concentric relation with said side wall, said tubular core extending from said bottom to an elevation for supporting contact with said cover, and a core centering means comprising a at ring resting on said bottom and extending from said tubular core to said side wall and having an integral flange bent vupwardly within the tubular core and secured thereto.

2. A container having a cylindrical side wall, a bottom and a readily removable cover, a cylindrical tubular core within said container in spaced concentric relation with said side wall, Asaid tubular core extending from said bottom to an elevation for supporting contact with said cover, and a core centering means comprising a flat ring resting on said bottom and extending from said tubular core to said side wall and having an integral ange com,

posed of spaced tongues bent upwardly within the tubular core and secured thereto, and a brace ring outwardly facing against said tongues and secured thereto to resist inward bending of said integral ange.

3. A container having a cylindrical side wall, a bottom and a readily removable cover, a cylindrical tubular core within said containerrin spaced concentric relation with said side wall, said tubular core extending from said bottom to an elevation for supporting contact with said cover, and a core centering means comprising a at ring resting on said bottom and extending from said tubular core to said side wall and having an integral ange composed of spaced tongues bent upwardly within the tu-v bular core and secured thereto, and a brace ring outwardly facing against said tongues and secured thereto to resist inward bending of said integral flange, said readily removable cover having thereon an annular shoulder fitting within and centering the otherwise free upper end extremity of said tubular core.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,850,074 Crandall Mar. 22, 1932 1,974,862 Cryan Sept. 25, 1934 1,992,430 Johnson Feb. 26, 1935 2,438,805 Hoyle Mar. 30, 1948 2,620,997 Lyon Dec. 9, 1952 2,701,054 Howald et al. Feb. 1, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS v 470,350 Great Brtiain Aug. 13, 1937 486,933 Great Britain June 13, 1938 

